Click on your TV and everybody’s in a panic about the ebola virus possibly becoming airborne.

Reality check, right there.

If you cast your mind back to the last time you saw pictures of a hurricane, you’ll quickly realise that ANYTHING can be airborne – buildings, people, sixteen-wheelers, livestock.

So how exactly can a microbe that is just a millionth of the size of the head of a pin be anything but?

One little waft of air will do it. Not even a puff. Get the right wind and it can blow right round the world. That’s how birds wind up on deserted islands. Or spiders from Argentina get to Antarctica every year.

“Possibly airborne?”

Don’t hold your breath. Because if the ebola cells that land on your clothing are concentrated enough, you’re already at risk. If they get inside you, you’re in trouble.